TENSE TIMES: Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto, Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff, U.S. President Barack Obama, and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel in the front row for a photo with other G-20 leaders in St. Petersburg, Russia, in Septmber.

The disclosures about U.S. surveillance programs based on leaks from former National Security Agency contractorEdward Snowden have proven to be an embarrassment for President Barack Obama both at home and abroad.

Amid the damaging revelations, Mr. Obama last month pledged a review of procedures. “It is important for us to step back and review what it is that we’re doing. Just because we can get information doesn’t necessarily always mean that we should,” Mr. Obama said, speaking to reporters at the end of a Group of 20 meeting in St. Petersburg. “There may be costs and benefits to doing certain things, and we’ve got to weigh those.”

The statements built on a promise earlier in the month to overhaul key parts of surveillance programs at the NSA.

Here is a rundown of recent concerns expressed by foreign governments over spying reports.

GERMANY

Reuters

German Chancellor Angela Merkel looks at her mobile phone during a session of the Bundestag, German lower house of parliament, at the Reichstag in Berlin in this September 12, 2012 file photo.

Ms. Merkel called President Barack Obama on Wednesday and made clear that such surveillance among allies would be “fully unacceptable,” her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said in a statement released late Wednesday evening in Berlin. Mr. Obama assured the German leader that the U.S. isn’t monitoring her communications, a White House spokesman said. It was unclear whether such surveillance may have occurred in the past, however.

Germany’s highly unusual statement and strong choice of words came as newsmagazine Der Spiegel was working on a story about U.S. surveillance of the German government, the publication reported on its website. Der Spiegel didn’t say what sources its research was based on, but the magazine has reported a series of stories in recent months based on documents from Mr. Snowden.

“We are all outraged, across party lines,” Wolfgang Bosbach, a senior official in Ms. Merkel’s conservative party, told German radio.

FRANCE

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

French President Francois Hollande looks on after a meeting with Lao president at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on Oct. 22, 2013.

Citing documents provided by Mr. Snowden, Le Monde reported that the agency collected more than 70 million French phone records between early December 2012 and early January 2013.

“This type of practice between partners is an assault on privacy, and is totally unacceptable,” said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. Paris is seeking “tangible assurances” from the U.S. that the spying won’t continue, a French official added.

The White House said Monday that Mr. Obama spoke with his French counterpart François Hollande and that the two “discussed recent disclosures in the press—some of which have distorted our activities and some of which raise legitimate questions for our friends and allies about how these capabilities are employed.”

The statement said Mr. Obama “made clear that the United States has begun to review the way that we gather intelligence, so that we properly balance the legitimate security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share. The two Presidents agreed that we should continue to discuss these issues in diplomatic channels moving forward.”

MEXICO

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

This handout picture released by Mexican Presidency press office shows Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto with U.S. President Barrack Obama in St. Petersburg, Russia.

A report by the German news magazine Der Spiegel said documents from Mr. Snowden indicate the U.S. gained access to former Mexican President Felipe Calderon‘s email system when he was in office. Earlier, a document dated June 2012 indicated the NSA had read now-President Enrique Pena Nieto‘s emails before he was elected.

Mr. Obama has promised an investigation into spying the U.S. reportedly did on Mexico’s presidential email system, Mexico’s top diplomat told reporters Tuesday. The White House said Mexico’s concerns would be addressed as part of a broader examination of U.S. intelligence gathering.

BRAZIL

Reuters

Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff waves as she stands in a vehicle during a civic-military parade commemorating Brazil’s Independence Day in Brasilia Sept. 7, 2013.

In September, President Dilma Rousseff called off a U.S. state visit planned for October in reaction to allegations the Obama administration spied electronically on Brazilians, including the country’s leader. A Brazilian television news program broadcast what it described as NSA slides it said were provided by Mr. Snowden that appeared to show spying both on Ms. Rousseff and on the state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA.

The allegations have strained American ties with Brazil, where an uproar prompted Brazilian hackers to retaliate against the U.S. space agency NASA and where lawmakers are taking steps to insulate the country’s Internet from foreign spying.

Mr. Obama phoned Ms. Rousseff at the time and said he “understands and regrets the concerns disclosures of alleged U.S. intelligence activities have generated in Brazil.”

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